Reactions

Once upon a time, as I prepared for a sabbatical leave, I made notes on each of my trumpet students, so my replacement would know what they had worked on and what I planned to cover that semester. I made a list of warm-ups, studies, solos, and duets for each student, with a short paragraph outlining their strengths and weaknesses, as well as some of my ideas about what could be done next.

I was candid in my assessments, because I intended them to be for the teacher’s eyes only, a courtesy to my friend who had graciously agreed to fill in for me. I later learned that our best laid plans sometimes don’t work out the way we expected. One of my students, a college freshman, was able to read my notes while my friend took a short break.

My comments read something like this: “_____ has shown a lot of potential, but so far, he hasn’t lived up to it. His experience before college had gaps, but he has a lot of talent. Not sure whether he lacks discipline or is just lazy. Hope to encourage him and challenge him to do his best.”

The student told me later that my assessment made him angry at first. Words like “lacks discipline” and “lazy” didn’t sit well with him. But after he thought about it, he decided he hadn’t really given his best effort during his first semester. And above all he vowed to prove me wrong! So, he stepped up and worked hard. He became one of the best students I ever worked with and went on to play for “The Commandant’s Own” in the US Marine Corps, as well as earn a master’s degree and become a first-rate teacher and band director, among other accomplishments. He clearly demonstrated outstanding discipline!

I suppose I could be criticized for not being complimentary enough, yet it’s important to keep in mind that while none of us can change what was said to us, everyone can decide how they react to what was said. We can blame others, make excuses, feel sorry for ourselves, or decide to do better. Many respected professionals have claimed realistic feedback helped motivate them to improve.

No one can become truly great if everyone tells them how great they are all the time. And it seems to me the person who insists on being praised, whether or not they deserve it, is likely a narcissist, or is becoming one. I might be old-school, but I believe self-esteem is the result of consistent effort, not empty praise. I think my student would agree, because he thanked me for pointing out that although he had talent, he also needed the discipline to develop it.

I had a lot of thoughts posted on my office door through the years. One quoted Ellis Marsalis, the father of Wynton Marsalis: “Talent is like the battery in a car. It’ll get you started, but if the generator is bad, you don’t go very far.” In other words, talent without discipline isn’t worth much. Every player who rose to the top got there because of a combination of talent and hard work. Some, like me, had minimal talent but a strong work ethic, and still managed to do pretty well. I don’t know of a first-rate player who didn’t work hard.

I’m concerned that some young people might expect excellent reviews for mediocre efforts. That doesn’t mean I believe teachers ought to berate students or become killjoys. We must be fair, constructive, and encouraging. We must acknowledge accomplishments. We must praise progress. We must support students as they strive to be the best they can be. If our students put in the work, accolades will come to them. So will the satisfaction of a job well done.